"Officials built a lending system that quickly became one of the biggest in the United States during the pandemic, using federal emergency money to lend thousands of devices and boost the tech setup inside library branches. Budget projections now show a $46 million deficit for 2025-26 and $53 million the following year, a hit that immediately limits how much the program can offer."
"Ten years ago, getting things done online meant finding a computer and a stable connection, but our lives now run through portals that assume everyone already has both. The pandemic sped that shift so quickly that many never caught up, and it left basic services functioning only if your device can keep the pages running without lag. Government sites make that clear the moment someone tries to complete forms on a phone."
Libraries built large device-lending programs during the pandemic using federal emergency funds, deploying thousands of laptops and hotspots and upgrading branch technology. Current budget forecasts show a multiyear deficit ($46 million in 2025-26, $53 million the following year) that will immediately reduce program capacity. Administrators plan fewer devices in rotation, slower turnaround between checkouts and longer branch queues. Significant portions of households with children still lack high-speed home internet, so stalled portals and aging hardware disrupt job searches, schoolwork and access to benefits. Slower devices and connections increase effort and reinforce inequities across education, work and online services.
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